


American Woman

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: The West Wing
Genre: F/M, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-07-27
Updated: 2008-07-27
Packaged: 2019-05-31 11:03:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15118004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: Say something bad, kissing and cuddling stop; odds low on lovemaking tonight.





	American Woman

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

“Good afternoon, Madame Second Lady.”

CJ looked up from her lunch, wearing a smile for her Press Secretary.

“Hey, Jack Jack.”

“Are you enjoying your lunch?”

“I was before your interruption.” She laughed. “Just kidding, sit down.”

Jack did what she said. CJ offered him a pan-seared chicken dumpling but he declined.

“So, what's up?” she asked.

“I just got a call from Stephanie Marco.”

“Lovely. Who is Stephanie Marco?”

“She's Director of Advertising for Kenneth Cole, Inc.”

“Hmm,” CJ popped a dumpling in her mouth. “What did she want?”

“There was a picture of you and Nora in last week’s _People_ Magazine. Have you seen it?”

“Probably, but it was a long week. I'm sure you'll refresh my memory.”

Jack handed her the color photocopy. Sure enough, she and Nora were sitting at an outdoor café eating lunch. They were clearly deep in conversation; Nora was mid-laugh. Amazing how none of her Secret Service agents ended up in the picture…it must have been taken with a zoom lens. The cigarette CJ remembered smoking had also mysteriously disappeared.

“What's the big deal?” the Second Lady returned the picture. “I'm in magazines all the time, whether I like it or not.”

“Stephanie Marco told me that Kenneth Cole was quite intrigued with this photo. He wants you, and your Chief of Staff, to be the new models for his American Woman line.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. He wants to meet you two in New York sometime in the next month. He is looking to launch the line in June; wants to launch the campaign in April.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes ma'am.” Jack nodded and smiled. “Completely, 100% fuck yeah serious.”

“Nora and I, models for a national, possibly international clothing line? Are you serious, Jack?”

“Yes.” Now he laughed. “You can stop asking that now. Kenneth Cole wants to make you a star!”

CJ shook her head, picking up her phone and dialing an extension.

“Hey, come down here; you're never going to believe this.”

CJ cracked open a can Vanilla Coke. Jack looked over at the door as Nora walked into the office.

“What's up…ooh dumplings.” She sat on the edge of the desk, grabbing one of the dumplings from the pan.

“Tell her Jack Jack.”

“Do you remember when this picture was in _People_?” he handed her the photocopy.

Nora looked at it, nodded, and handed it back.

“I got a call from Stephanie Marco. She is the Director of Advertising for Kenneth Cole, Inc. Mr. Cole was quite impressed with that photo. He wants you and the Second Lady to be the faces of his new ad campaign.”

“For serious?” she took another dumpling; CJ pushed them toward her. Nora looked at her best friend. “Is this serious?”

“Stephanie Marco seems to think so.” CJ replied. “This will further muddy the political/celebrity waters. I am sure my husband won't like it very much. We won't even get into President Santos.”

“And?” Jack asked. Then he covered his mouth. “My bad.”

“It’s alright. Things are peaceful right now and I would prefer they stayed that way. Contrary to how good we are at it, Leo and I don’t enjoy sparring.”

“I agree this is a celebrity thing,” Nora said. “But imagine the possibilities.”

“I'm listening.” She opened the top drawer and grabbed a cigarette. Looking at her best friend, she went in and grabbed another.

“10% of the cost of every CJ scarf will go to continuing the battle to cure Alzheimer’s.”

“What CJ scarf?” Jack asked. He too reached for a dumpling.

“The one that Mr. Cole will create for the sheer honor of the Second Lady of the United States participating in his ad campaign. Not to mention that you're giving the entire paycheck to charity.” Nora added.

“That’s good.” the Press Secretary nodded. “I love the CJ scarf.”

“It doesn’t exist yet.” CJ replied.

“But when it does,” Jack snapped both fingers. “FABULOUS! Everything you wear is fabulous. All the girls and women who imitate you can now have a piece of you. C’mon, Mrs. McGarry, lets call Stephanie. We can at least sit down with her. Well, you, Nora, and Petra can.”

Petra Skarsgard was the new media consultant for the Second Lady. She was hired by Daisy after the victory of the midterm election…CJ was more visible than ever. Her numbers were on the rise and her time in high demand. After the Mandy Hampton debacle of the Bartlet Administration, CJ was unsure about bringing Petra on. Daisy assured her that her life would still be under her control.

“You’ve never been good at taking a back seat, Jack.” The Second Lady said.

“I'm attempting to grow.”

“Mmm hmm. Look, Stephanie called you so you're in on this. Call her back.”

He could hardly hide his glee. CJ looked at Nora.

“This is a good thing?”

“Definitely. It will bring attention to your cause and that is always good. We’ll deal with any of the other muck we have to. Plus…”

“Plus?”

“I get to be in _Vogue_.”

“You’ve been in _Vogue_ before.”

“Yeah, but this is an entire ad campaign. It’ll be in Japanese, British, and Canadian _Vogue_.”

“Don’t Canadians read the same _Vogue_ that we do?” Jack asked.

“Do I look Canadian to you?” Nora asked a question of her own. “Go ask Donna.”

***

“I'm home.” CJ poked her head into the Vice-President’s study at 9:30.

“Hey baby,” Leo pushed out his chair and held out his arms. “C’mere.”

Smiling, she climbed into his lap. Leo kissed his wife passionately. Her hands ran through his hair and down the nape of his neck.

“Your meeting ran kinda late.” He said.

CJ nodded, going back to kissing. Apparently, Congressman Hatch of Ohio and Congresswoman Sterling of Oregon thought a dinner meeting at The Monocle really included dinner. CJ never felt comfortable eating around strangers; she and Nora watched them stuff themselves. While the Second Lady was not happy about it, she could have had dinner with her kids, she was satisfied with the discussion results. Working class and poor people needed access to more Alzheimer’s drugs and studies. She took that seriously and needed all the help she could get on the Hill.

“I have a question for you.” CJ said.

“Alright.”

“Why are you still wearing a tie?” she toyed with the purple silk. It looked like Sean John.

“You know how it is sometimes. I came home to have dinner with the kids and then came right in here to work. I'm not going in tomorrow so I wanted to get some things handled before I took off the Vice-Presidential cape and became plain ole Leo again.”

“You're not going in?”

“No.” he shook his head. “I probably should have told you earlier so we could have coordinated our schedules. Everything was so insane; Toby reminded me of it this afternoon. Still, I'm hoping you can push back anything you might have first thing…it is my utmost desire to sleep in with my wife.”

“Are you sure that I'm actually going to get some sleep, Leopold?”

“I don’t know; we’ll have to wait and see.”

CJ giggled as he kissed and sucked her neck. His arms tightened around her.

“I need to ask my question.”

“I'm listening baby…I'm all ears.”

“How would you feel about the possibility of my appearance on a very large billboard in Times Square?”

“What are you wearing?” Leo asked.

“I'm being serious!”

“So am I.” the Vice-President laughed.

“I'm not sure yet.”

“OK, I’ll bite. What's going on, Claudia Jean?”

“Kenneth Cole wants Nora and I to be the faces of his new ad campaign for the American Woman collection. It’s aimed at the 30 something and over working woman.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. His Director of Advertising called Jack this afternoon. Apparently, he saw a picture of the two of us in _People_ and wanted us. Stephanie Marco is coming to Washington next week to sit down and discuss the idea in more detail.”

“Well, what do you want to know baby?”

“I want to know what you think…honestly.”

For a moment, Leo weighed everything in his head. Say something bad, kissing and cuddling stop; odds low on lovemaking tonight. Say something good, happiness continued. When had be become such a cynic? Hell, he was always a cynic. Leo knew his wife felt good in his arms and he wanted to keep her there.

“Do you want to be a model or an activist for your concerns?” he asked.

“I thought the same thing. Then Nora said something. 10% of the cost of the CJ scarf will go toward the battle to cure Alzheimer’s. I will also give the photo shoot paycheck and any other royalties for use of the photos to charity.”

“What's the CJ scarf?”

CJ told her husband the whole story of her lunch conversation with her Press Secretary and Chief of Staff. When she was through, she again asked what he thought.

“I want you to do what makes you happy, CJ. When you are happy so am I. The CJ scarf is a very good idea and if Mr. Cole agrees, then you should go for it. Nora should request something too. She always wears great shoes…doesn’t he make shoes?”

“You pay a lot of attention to Nora’s shoes?” the Second Lady asked, loosening Leo’s tie.

“Oh no. No, no, no. I pay absolutely no attention to any other women. No one can hold a candle to my Jeannie.”

CJ smiled as he kissed her nose. He didn’t call her Jeannie very often, but when he did it made her feel tingly inside and loved. No one had ever made her feel like Leo did. It was her wish that they could be this content all the time. Making a marriage work was hard but sometimes it was almost impossible for the Second Couple.

“I'm keeping my eye on you, Mr. Vice-President.” The tie went on the desk next to the ignored paperwork. CJ unbuttoned the top three buttons on his dress shirt.

“I can't find anything to argue with there. I can't keep my eyes, or my hands, off you.” Leo kissed her deep, CJ pressing her breasts on his chest because she knew it made him crazy. “OK baby,” he pulled away. “What I'm in the mood for now, we've got to get out of this chair.”

“Do you want me to run you a bath? I know what you like me to do with my soapy hands.”

Leo could only groan. How the hell did he get so lucky? This sexy, beautiful, captivating woman wanted him. She wanted him a lot…her appetite approached voracious at times. Right now for instance.

“Straight to bed, Mrs. McGarry. I want to undress you and make you really happy.”

“You just want to fuck a supermodel, don’t you?”

“Damn straight.”

***


End file.
